H Andrew Chuang wrote:
> The A320 is a medium-haul, 150-seat aircraft. It fills the B727 gap
> that Boeing had left open when they marketed the B757 as the B727
> replacement. Airbus was smart enough to spot the opening and built the
> A320. The A320 has never been a *direct* competitor of the B737 just
> like the B727 has never competed directly against the first-generation
> B737. (Similarly, the A321 is not a direct competitor of the
> longer-range B757 even though the two designs have similar capacities.
Point about CAPACITY well made. However, if one were to use operating costs as
a metric to compare say a 757 vs A321, or 737 (first and medium generations)
and A320, would your comparisons stick ?
Would it be possible that for some operators, dues to the negotiated deals,
that operating a A320 would end up being more cost effective than a 1 or 2
generation 737 even though the 737 might be beter sized for the airline's
capacity requirements ?